Friday, March 15, 2024

Given


ORIGINS: Cranebrook, NSW
GENRE: Hard Rock, Metal
YEARS ACTIVE: 1994-2013, 2017-2018
 
MEMBERS:
  • George Fotakopoulos (Guitar) (Vocals, Guitar - 2002-2003)
  • Gary Thomas (Guitar) (Vocals, Guitar - 2002-2003)
  • Josh McHattan (Drums)
  • Jai Pearce (Vocals) [1996-2001, 2004-2018]
  • Jason 'Colty' Coltan (Bass) [1995-1996]
  • Shane Wallis (Bass) [1996-2018]
RELEASES: 
 
  • Demo (1996)
    • 1. Imagine
    • 2. Down and Out
  • Self-Titled (1999)
    • 1. Down and Out
    • 2. Outfit
    • 3. Empty Room
    • 4. Twice Shy
       

  • Given EP (2002)
    • 1. Promises
    • 2. When You're There
    • 3. Mostly Me
    • 4. Reason
    • 5. Never Before
    • 6. Demist

SUMMARY: Given formed under the name Utopia while Josh McHattan, George Fotakopoulos, and Gary Thomas were in Year 9 at Cranebrook High School. Jason Coltan was recruited on bass but was replaced within a year by Shane Wallis, and singer Jai Pearce was the last member to be added after he left his previous band Watteva. The band played their first show at a bikers' club house (just prior to Pearce joining) and by 1996 they were playing under the name Exile and had recorded their first demo.
 
In 1999, after steadily gigging around Sydney with a mixture of originals and covers, the band changed their name to Given. During this time, around 2000, the band had their song 'Fade Away' picked up on the American college radio circuit and they became the house band at Richmond Royal jam nights. In 2001 they won the Great Western Bar band comp and used the money to record an EP, and toured parts of New South Wales in support of the Led Zeppelin and Doors show. Pearce left the band in ???? when he moved to Melbourne to work, prompting further name changes to Project (briefly) and Media Tramp, during which time Thomas and Fotakopoulos shared lead vocal duties. Pearce returned to Penrith in 2006 and re-joined as vocalist but the band's activity eventually slowed to a stop as members started raising families or playing in other bands. 

In 2017, the band re-formed as The Des-Men, in honour of their friend Des Thomas who had passed away in 2016. They have played a couple of times under this name at memorial events.
 
SHOWS:


ORAL HISTORY:
GARY: I remember how the band started like it was yesterday. We were in Year 9. It all came about from Josh sitting next to me in Maths. He knew I played guitar and I knew he played drums. Literally, that was all we knew about each other. And he chatted my ear off, suggesting I come over to his house for a jam. Our first practice was him and I with George playing one intro on acoustic and screaming into a shitty mic.
Gary Thomas (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
JOSH: At the time I was looking for musos to jam with but the school drummer position was filled. George made a random comment, "I'll learn and play guitar". Not long after, he was given an acoustic and we were jamming... poorly, but it was jamming. I then met Gary in a Maths class. Someone mentioned to me that he played guitar. I asked him to join us. I was so impressed he had a guitar that looked like an Angus Young SG! He was in. Jason Coltan then said he could play bass.
Joshua McHattan (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 
 
COLTY: We would practice at Josh's house and go up to Kingswood Park shops to get hot chips and Utopia drinks. And that's where the name came from, we saw that word and it was like, "That's a mad name for a band". 
Jason Coltan (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
 
GEORGE: Josh and I wanted to start a band in late 1994. He had drums and could play. I didn't have a guitar, couldn't play a note, but it still sounded like a good idea. By the time school went back in '95 we had recorded our first song and Josh had found out that Gary had an electric guitar so asked him to join. The issue at this point was that Gary and I didn't like each other but once you're in a band you get on with it. Colty then joined very reluctantly on bass. He wanted to play guitar but Gary and I are pretty stubborn and obviously we didn't want to play bass either. We had shitloads of fun with Colty but we needed a committed bass player 'cause we were super keen on improving. Shane had his own bass and amp, so he was in. 
George Fotakopoulos (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
COLTY: We were teenagers and no one knew what they were doing. None of us could keep time. I didn't fit in with what they were doing, which was very much an AC/DC or Metallica sound... I wanted to do something different, I wanted to get sounds out of instruments that you shouldn't be able to get out of them. And I didn't want to play bass. But it was so much fun. It was a fun time. They kicked me out of the band without really kicking me out of the band, which is how it's done when you're a teenager. They were just like, "Shane's playing bass now," and was like, "Yeah, thanks."
Jason Coltan (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
Year 9, 1994
 
SHANE: I remember Colty was the bass player but the guys wanted to play Metallica... They knew I had bought a bass and could play it so I was invited to practice at Josh's house and the first song we played was 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' and I nailed it. 'Enter Sandman' was next if my memory serves me correctly and I played that as well. I don't think anyone officially asked me to join... I just played with them from then on. 
Shane Wallis (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
JOSH: Our first show was most likely the jam night that used to be in the old Reactor room at Panthers Leagues Club. We tried to play a cover of Faith No More's 'Gentle Art of...' without a singer. Most that track is bass chug and hi hat.
Joshua McHattan (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 

SHANE: One of our first shows was either the jam nights at the Royal in Richmond or maybe a Bikie Club in Southwest Sydney. George's neighbour was the Sergeant-at-Arms of that chapter. 
Shane Wallis (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

JOSH: We had no singer forever. When Jai finished with his current band we asked him to join. We jammed and our line up was complete.
 Joshua McHattan (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
 
JAI: I remember watching the boys play on a Sunday afternoon at Panthers when they used to play jam nights. I was singing with Watteva at the time and thought I would love to have a jam with them. I knew Shane as our Dads used to work together, and I knew of Gaz through rollcall at school. I asked them if I could sing 'Pure Massacre' as they had jammed on it the week before. We played it and I thought it was awesome. I think I got invited to a jam at Shano's hosue the following week and we just kinda started there.
Jai Pearce (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

SHANE: We got kicked out before we even played at Cronulla because we were all underage and our mate Mitchell tried to buy a beer. 
Shane Wallis (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
GEORGE: I rarely play the pokies but for whatever reason, after we played a show, I went halves with Shane and we had a $700 win. We split the winnings but basically spent it all on screwdrivers, which is basically vodka and orange juice. Neither Shane or I have ever had one again after this night. Anyway, we ended up at Great Western Bar in Penrith and our kind of potential manager at the time, Tony Le Rhodes (The Choirboys), saw us and introduced us to his bikie friends. One of these bikies gave me a fucking massive bunger and said it would be really funny if I lit it up inside. Penrith used to be really rough and you did yourself no favours doing dumb shit like that inside a fucking rough pub. In a split second, I decided it would be really fucking funny to throw the bunger at the bikies that gave it to me. Before I did this, I turned to Shane and told him to run. I must've had that look in my eye because he didn't ask me why, he just did it. I wasn't far behind him and halfway across the street you could hear the massive bang and we ran all the way to Shane's house in the next suburb over, Lemongrove. We were wanted for a little while. In fact, I think Gary was pulled up about a year later and he wasn't even there at the time!
George Fotakopoulos (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

SHANE: We were pissed out of our brains after a night at Panthers drinking vodka and orange. And half of the Penrith bikies threatened to beat the shit out of us.
Shane Wallis (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

JOSH: I used to really enjoy playing with the Led Zeppelin Show at the Richmond Royal. The drummer, Theo, was awesome and I got to play his kit a few times, which I thought was incredible. They also had a massive PA, it was way overkill for the venues but gee, that sound was huge. In terms of a great show, we also played the Mona Vale Hotel. There were actual punters there and it was a taste of having a half-decent crowd.
 Joshua McHattan (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 

JAI: My favourite memories were practising at Adrift Studios, playing the various jam nights and university gigs. Playing the Bikie gigs. Just hanging with the guys. I look back now and they were the best days ever.
Jai Pearce (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024


SHANE: The first major recording was intimidating because I knew if I stuffed up it was there forever. I remember on one recording there was one song that I had a bassline worked out that I thought would be great but it really didn't sound good. I wanted to re-record the part but time was running out so it had to be left in. It's always made me cringe when I listen to it again. But I do love the recording the process... I like to adlib a lot when I play live so the pressure is on in the studio and sometimes you play the wrong note but it turns out to be the right note that really takes the song to another level... it's a good feeling. 
Shane Wallis (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

GEORGE: Our song 'Fade Away' was the title music for a surfing show on Fox. Jai was always pissed that it cut out before the singing came in. I suppose this also kicked us off playing original songs in better places. 
George Fotakopoulos (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

JOSH: We had a gig at this dive pub in the back of Tempe somewhere. There was no one there except for the bar staff and one single guy. He later approached us and said he was a cinema photographer of sorts and he would like to film a music clip if we were keen. We were. And so we did a film clip at the Maroubra Beach military tunnels and bunkers. It was a crazy day. Then we never heard from the guy again and, sadly, we never got to see any footage. I often think about it.
 Joshua McHattan (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 


GEORGE: I think we were all a bit lost when Jai left to work in Melbourne. Gary and I had to relearn how to play the guitar because we weren't used to playing guitar and singing at the same time. Playing riffs and intricate bits is easier when someone else is singing. We could've changed the way we played guitar but it wasn't our style. We liked to be a bit more intricate. So around 2002-2003 we were working through all that.
George Fotakopoulos (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

SHANE: I suggested at one stage that we call our ourselves The Kumquats.
Shane Wallis (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

JAI: When I came back from Melbourne they had found a different sound/style and from that the song 'Drive' was created. I remember a week after recording it just blasting the absolute fuck out of it in my car. When George's solo kicks in, I'm in Heaven.
Jai Pearce (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

GEORGE: I remember us playing a headlining show at the Kelts Bar in 2004 on a Saturday night, playing all original songs. The main band, Persian Rugs (a Screaming Jets side project), didn't show up so we got to do a double-set and got all the cash too... about $2000. 
George Fotakopoulos (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

GEORGE: A special memory for me is when Gary and I were jamming with Jeff Martin (The Tea Party) after he'd done a solo show in Windsor. I just used his guitar upside-down (since I'm left-handed) to play 'All Things Must Pass' (George Harrison) while he sung. 
George Fotakopoulos (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
 
JOSH: We never really broke up, at least from a formal perspective. I'm not sure actually what happened. We just never could get a time together with everyone's jobs, commitments, etc, and we gave up trying. But it's still alive as The Des-Men. We will always make an effort for Des, to come together as our way of celebrating and remembering him in our own way. 
 Joshua McHattan (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

SHANE: We don't play anymore unless it's for a special occasion but the band is still essentially together. Exile, Given, or whatever we were called... it was the time of my life. Mates before the band and brothers afterwards. I really think the band brought us all closer together. 
Shane Wallis (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

GEORGE: We love each other too much to ever truly break up. I suppose to us if we left the band it would be like leaving a friendship.
George Fotakopoulos (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

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